Another ONE MILLION migrants will head to Europe this year, says head of the EU border agency, who warns razor wire won't stop determined refugees
- Fabrice Leggeri, Europe's border boss, says fences will not stop the influx
- He added it would be a success if refugee numbers stabilised this year
- But he also warned the Syrian war would result in another million migrants
- For more on Europe's refugee crisis visit www.dailymail.co.uk/refugeecrisis
By Allan Hall In Berlin and Corey Charlton for MailOnline
Europe's refugee crisis shows no signs of abating with the head of the EU border agency Frontex predicting a further one million migrants headed to the continent this year.
Fabrice Leggeri warned that walls and wire were no match for determined people and added; 'Fences will stop no-one.'
His prediction comes as new figures yesterday revealed more than 110,000 migrants have already reached the EU this year.
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The head of the EU's border agency has warned fences will not stop the influx of migrants into Europe. Pictured are refugees being helped ashore on Lesbos, Greece, after making the trip from Turkey
An Afghan woman breaks down in tears after arriving on the island having poverty and conflict abroad
A Pakistani couple hug after arriving in Greece today. More than 110,000 people have reached Europe already this year
'It would be a success if the refugee numbers for this year remained stable in comparison to 2015', he said.
'We are confronting a situation in Syria this year which will result in another million refugees.'
Currently, he said, it was important to bring migrants from the Greek-Macedonian border into the so-called hotspots for processing.
He went on: 'Experience has shown that fences and patrols at sea do not stop the refugees.
'We think it likely that more migrants are trying to get to Italy via Libya. Also routes through
Ukraine and Russia or Greece are a new possibility.'
Most of the refugees succeeded reaching Germany in the first two months of 2016 came without documents - 77 percent of them in January alone, according to the German interior ministry.
Refugees do not want to present papers for fear that entry stamps will show up the route they took, meaning Germany could send them back to the first place they entered on the continent.
Leggeri criticized the border closures within the EU, adding; 'If individual states close their borders, that doesn't help.
'When Hungary has sealed off the border with a fence, the people used the Balkan route to get to the west.
'There can be only one European solution: a distribution of people in Europe and the protection of the Schengen free movement zone.'
Meanwhile, EU leaders will hold a special summit with Turkey in Brussels on March 7 to push forward a deal aimed at stemming the flow of migrants into Europe, a European source said.
Afghani families wait in the port of Piraeus, after their arrival from the islands of Lesbos and Chios today
Greece is currently grappling with a blockade of refugees after Macedonia closed its borders to Afghans
A NGO serves food to migrant families waiting in Greece today. The boss of the EU's border agency has said closing border control gates and erecting fences does little to help address the crisis
A summit will be held next month in Brussels in order to push through a deal with Turkey that will help stem the flow of migrants entering Europe via the country
A young girl holds fruits collected at a food stand while she waits in the port town of Piraeus, Greece
Ankara and Brussels signed a deal in November under which Turkey agreed to curb the number of refugees crossing to Greece in return for three billion euros in aid and the speeding up of its EU membership bid.
But pressure to enforce the plan is growing as EU officials say thousands of migrants are still crossing the Aegean daily, after more than one million people made the perilous journey to Europe last year.
Speaking at an EU summit today, Tusk said the Turkey joint action plan 'remains a priority, and we must do all we can to succeed - this is why we have the intention to organise a special meeting with Turkey in the beginning of March'.
European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker had suggested on Monday that the summit was likely to be on March 7.
Today it was also revealed Hungary's longstanding opposition to mandatory EU refugee quotas would be put to its citizens in a vote.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban said: 'The government has decided to hold a referendum on the mandatory distribution quota issue.'
24/2/2016
